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Crime Thriller Stingray Taps Jon Bernthal

Jon Bernthal is an actor that has been appearing across screens big and small since the turn of the millennium, but it was only when the actor landed the complex, scenery-chewing role of Shane in The Walking Dead that the industry began to stand up and take notice. In those intervening years, Bernthal’s career has been on the up and up, nabbing a series of supporting roles in the likes of The Wolf of Wall Street, Fury, Daredevil and, more recently, Ben Affleck’s The Accountant.

We can now add Stingray to that ever-expanding résumé, as The Hollywood Reporter brings word that Jon Bernthal has secured a leading role in Anthony Hayes’ crime thriller. Already in pre-production, the pic follows Bernthal’s young man as he is “caught up in organized crime who accidentally kills the brother of a powerful crime figure. He must then kill one of his own family in the next two days to pay off his blood debt.” Hayes, the Aussie writer-director who has starred in Animal Kingdom, co-wrote the script for Stingray, though there are precious few details available beyond that fleeting logline. Jon and Michael Schwarz will produce on behalf of Deeper Water.

Currently simmering in pre-production, Stingray is reportedly eyeing a production start in April of 2017. Just before that, Bernthal will be starring in another crime thriller by the name of Baby Driver. Look for Edgar Wright’s ensemble pic to zoom into theaters on March 17. There’s also the upcoming Punisher spinoff series at Marvel and Netflix, which continues to truck along in development in Brooklyn. No premiere date to report for that one just yet, but stay tuned.